Window sash constructions



Dec. 23, 1958 F. HiMMEL ET AL wmnow SASH CONSTRUCT'IONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1954 Hin W L.

fizvenl'ors FRED HiMMEL ISIDORE HIMMEL 5M 0) SM attorneys Dec. 23, 1958, F. HIMMEL ETAL 2,865,062

WINDOW SASH CONSTRUCTIONS Filed July 1, 1954 2 Shets-Sheet 2 IZZL E0 INVENTORS FRED HIMMEL. BY \SIDORE HIMMEL United States Patent N v 2,865,062 WINDOW SASH CONTRUCTIONS Fred Himmel and Isidore Hirnmel, New Haven, Conn. Application July 1, 1954, Serial No. 440,602

3 Claims. (c1. 20-564 This invention relates to sash construction, and more particularly to metallic sashes for holding heavy plate glass windows, such as may be found in store fronts.

In the erection of store fronts, and in other locations where sections of heavy glass of large surface area must be supported exposed to storms, vibration, and extremes of heat and cold, the setting which holds the glass must hold it firmly, yet flexibly enough to take up the natural contraction and expansion of the glass, and also movement of the glass due to vibration, Wind and vacuum pressures.

In the past it has been the practice, in erecting store fronts, to first install backing members against which the rear face of a pane of glass will rest adjacent its edges, and then, While the pane is held in position by appropriate means, to aflix face members which abut against'the front face of the pane, to clamp it against the backing members and hold it firmly in place. The face members may be fixed in clamping position in a number of different ways, and a variety of clamping constructions have heretofore been proposed to accomplish this. Such constructions include, in general, clamping devices having a take-up screw fixed to the rear sash member at regular intervals of say 12 to 18 inches, and drawbar members fixed to the face member of the sash at corresponding intervals in order that the clamping devices and drawbars may be interengaged and clamping of the glass pane accomplished by turning down the take-up screws.

All of the prior art setting mechanisms have had, however, certain rather serious drawbacks. Perhaps the most serious of these is that the clamping force is applied directly to the top of the face member through relatively rigid clamping means, at spaced intervals alo'ngthe face member, resulting in the application ofuneven forces to the glass along its edge, with a consequent tendency of the glass to fracture when placed under vibrational stresses. Also, if the take-up screw is screwed in too tightly, an excessive local pressure may be placed on the glass, causing it to break during installation. Attempts have been made in the past to overcome or minimize these drawbacks by placing a rubber insert in the clamping edges of the faceand backing members. This however, is expensive, and, While it imparts some degree of resiliency to the mounting, does not altogether eliminate the foregoing disadvantages.

A second important disadvantage of the prior art 'is that the setting mechanisms are not readily adjustable to receive glass anes of widely varying thickness. While in the past this disadvantage has not been too troublesome when dealing with the usual thickness of single-pane glazing, with the advent ofdouble-paned insulating glass,

such as Thrmopane, the problem has become acute, and special setting mechanisms must be supplied.

A further disadvantage found in the prior art is that the screw take-up means is fixed in position on the backing member at spaced intervals, and the drawbar or other means cooperating with the take-up screw is also fixed to :the face member at spaced intervals. Both face memby to lessen its rigidity.

2,865,062 Patented Dec. 23,, 1958 ,size on the job site. It follows that once the backing members have been fixed in place, the face members must be very carefully cut to insure that, when fitted on the window, the drawbar or other clamping meansis in a position to be acted on by the take-up screw. This naturally cuts down on the speed of installation, and, when the facing member is carelessly out, it must be discarded, resulting in a waste of valuable material.

It is an object of this invention to provide a form of sash construction in which the clamping force of the face member of a sash is applied to a pane of glass at a substantially uniform pressure over its entire length.

It is another object of this invention to provide a sash construction in which it is not possible to place an excessive pressure against the glass in any locality.

It is still another object of this'invention to provide a sash construction in which a pane of glass may be held firmly but resiliently, whereby to eliminate the need of rubber glass contacts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sash construction which will accommodate and resiliently hold panes of glass of widely varying thicknesses.

It is a yet further object of this invention to provide a sash face member which may be cut to the desired length without the necessity of carefully fitting the details of construction of the face member to those of the backing member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds.

It has been found that the foregoing objects may be obtained by providing, in a sash assembly, a face member 'which comprises an inwardly extending bridge section, a front wall rising from the outer edge of the bridge section, and a rail extending inwardly from the upper edge of the front wall, terminating in a straight glassengaging face which lies in a plane substantially parallel to the forward edge of the rail. Alternatively, the Wall and rail may be combined into an arcuate section which extends from the forward edge of the bridge section to the glass-engaging face. A backing member, having a forwardly extending mounting plate which underlies the bridge section, is provided with a rear wall, from which a shelf extends forwardly, the shelf having a straight face adapted to engage the rear face of a pane of glass. Setting means pass through the backing member and engage the upper surface of the bridge section at points near the rear edge thereof. The bridge section is provided with means cooperating with the setting means for so positioning the face member as to cause the rail face to pressresiliently against the front of the glass pane. These means either extend throughout the length of the bridge section or, when they are spaced along the bridge section, are of a sufficient width that there is no need to accurately match up the face positioning means with the setting means, thus eliminating the possibility of mismatching the face positioning means and the setting means when cutting the face member to the proper length, avoiding the waste of material due to mismatching, and considerably speeding up the installation of the sash.

Since the face-biasing force exerted by the setting means against the bridge section is applied via the bridge section, the front wall, and the rail, it is apparent that no direct force is applied to the pane of glass, and that the force will be distributed, due to the inherent resiliency of the face member, throughout the entire length of the member, so that no localized forces will be applied to the glass. The resiliency of the face member, if desired, may be increased by cutting slots in the bridge section, where- Naturally, the face member must be of sutficient structural strength to enable sufficient force tobe transmitted therethrough to hold the window pane firmly in place, and therefore the face and backing members are preferably formed of extruded metal, such as aluminum alloy, since light gauge rolled metal settings are too bendablej Extruded metal members have, of course, been used in the past, but it has been found that if the clamping means of the prior art are-used to install sashes in which both the face and backing members are of extruded metal, the clamping grip of the m mbers on the glass is too rigid, and breakage of glass due to vibration frequently occurs. It has therefore been deemed necessary in the past to interpose strips of rubber between the sash members and the glass, to provide the necessary resilience. It has now been found, however, that by proceeding in accordance with the present invention, an extruded metal sash may be produced which will hold a glass frame in place with suflicient resiliency to avoid'breakage, while dispensing with the necessity for rubber stripping in the majority of applications. It may, of course, be advisable to use strips in installations in which it is desired to seal the joint between the sash and the pane against the entrance of water or air, such as in windows for air-conditioned rooms, but their presence is not needed to provide resilience.

As has been previously mentioned, the bridge section may be perforated to give it greater resiliency. The perforations also serve another purpose, since if they are in the form of slots of the length of a setting block, a recess for the block may be easily formed by cutting through the material of the bridge section to the ends of a slot with a hacksaw, and such recesses may be easily formed at any desired position along the lengths of the bridge section.

While the foregoing discussion has related primarily to the application of the invention to sashes, it will be apparent to those skilled'in the art that it is equally applicable to mullions, in which case the backing member is formed in a T shape, having a face member on either side thereof.

In order that those skilled in the art may more fully appreciate the invention and the manner of carrying it out, it will be described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings showing typical specific embodiments of the invention in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partially cut away, of a store front window incorporating a sash manufactured in accordance with the present invention, certain details of the interior of the sash being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of a face member constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a backing member of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled sash incorporating face and backing members of somewhat different configuration than that shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a sash embodying still other face-biasing means illustrating the sash as it would appear when holding panes of greater thickness;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevational view of a face member of the sash of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a 180 mullion constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 4, it will be observed that a pane of glass 20, resting on a pair of setting blocks 21, is held in position by a sash, indicated generally at 22. Sash 22 is composed of a backing member 23, which comprises a mounting plate 24, and a rear Wall portion including a rear wall 25 and a forwardly extending shelf 26, which portion terminates in a flange 27, the latter having a straight, smooth forward face adapted to contact one side of pane 20. Sash 22 also has a face member 30, comprising a bridge section 31, and a face or forward wall portion including a forward wall. 32 and 4 an inturned rail 33, which portion terminates in flange 34. The flange 34, like flange 27, has a straight, smooth face adapted to contact the other side of pane 20. An inclined ledge 35 rises from the inner edge of bridge section 31, and is adapted to be contacted by the end of screws 36, carried in threaded openings 37 in shelf 26.

As may be seen in Fig. 3, bridge section 31 has cut therein a series of slots 38 of a length equal to or slightly greater than that of setting blocks 21. The material of the bridge section may be cut at the ends of two or more of the slots 33 to form recesses 39 into which the setting blocks 21 may then fit.

In setting the window shown in Fig. l in place, backing members 23 are affixed to the sill 40, jambs 41, and lintel 42 as by screws 43 passing through their mounting plates 24 (Figs. 1 and 2). A pair of setting locks 21, having leather seats 21a are then placed on the mounting plate 24 of the backing member 23 attached to sill 40, in a position such that they will be received in the recesses 39 when face member 30 is installed in place. Pane 20 is then placed on seats 21a with its rear side in contact with flanges 27, and is held in position by temporary means while the face members 30 are being installed. Screw 36 is then withdrawn to a degree sutficient to bring it out of contact with ledge 35, and the sill face member 30 is placed in position, with its bridge section 31 overlying mounting plate 24, the setting blocks 21 being received within recesses 39, and with its rail flange 34 in contact with the forward side of pane 20. Screws 36 are then tightened against ledge 35, and the camming action of the end of screws 36 against the inclined face of ledge 35 will tend to draw face member 30 rearwardly to force flange 34 tightly against pane 29. Since the force applied to flange 34 is transmitted indirectly via rail 33, front wall 32, and bridge section 31, it will be applied uniformly throughout the length of face member 30, and localized pressures are avoided. It will also be appreciated that since the force is transmitted through a considerable length of material which is bent over on itself, flange 34 will be held against pane 20 in a resilient manner. Face member 30 will thus be permitted by its construction to flex in response to forces acting against pane 20, with front wall 32 acting as a spring to maintain flange 34 in resilient contact with pane 20. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 through 4, the slots 38 in addition to serving as aids in cutting recesses 39 to receive setting blocks 21, also serve to weaken the material of bridge section 31 to impart greater flexibility to face member 30. It will also be observed that bridge section 31 is provided with a raised section 45 to permit easier flexing, but in some instances it may be desirable to make bridge section 31 substantially flat, and the invention is not limited to a construction in which the bridge section has such a raised portion.

Front wall 32 is also provided with a foot flange 46, of a height equal to the thickness of mounting plate 24, and which will abut the sill (or the jambs and lintel, as the case may be) when the sash is in assembled condition, to present a smooth, unbroken appearance.

After the sill face member is placed in position, the jamb and lintel face members may be installed in similar fashion, but in this case no setting block recesses are cut, since setting blocks are used only on the sill.

It will be appreciated that both backing member 23 and face member 30 may have a variety of configurations, and that the invention should not be limited to the boxlike form of sash illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4. For example, Fig. 5 illustrates a form of sash in which the front wall 32 and rail 33 of the face member 30 has been replaced by an arcuate member 47, which curves upwardly and inwardly from the outer edge of bridge section 31 to flange 34. It will also be observed that in this construction shelf 26 slopes upwardly from a point below the top of rear wall 25 to its juncture with pane 20. Both face member ,30 and backing member 23 may be'given decorative shapes, such as fluting or beading, and the backing member, as well as the face member, may have a wall arcuate in shape. 1

While the means for drawing face member 30 into firm but resilient contact with pane 20 as described above is satisfactory for installingsingle pane windows of standard thickness, it is unsatisfactory for use in installations where both single paned and double paned windows are to be erected since the width of the inclined ledge cannot be made sufliciently great to permit contact of the setting screws with it over any wide spacing range, without increasing the over-all size of the sash to an undesired degree. For such installations the sash construction illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is preferred.

In this construction bridge section 231 is provided with an upturned flange 70, which is pierced by a series of elongated slots 71. Backing member 223 comprises mounting plate 224, rear wall 225, and an inturned rail 226 terminating in glass-engaging flange 227 A shelf 72 extends forwardly from rear wall 225 throughout its length. countersunk holes 73 are provided in the rear wall, through which extend self-tapping screws 74 adapt ed to operably engage the margins of slots 71 in flange 70. Shelf 72 is spaced apart from mounting plate 224 at a distance such that when bridge section 231 is resting on the mounting plate, the lower sides of shelf 72 will contact the upper edge of flange 70. When a Sash of this construction is to be installed, the backing members 223 are first fixed in position and shelf 72, on the sill backing member, is cut away to provide recesses for setting blocks, corresponding to the recesses cut in the bridge sections of the face member. The pane is then mounted on the setting blocks as hereinbefore. set forth. Face member 230 is then put in place with flange 234 in contact with pane 20, and with bridge section 231 resting on mounting plate 224. Screws 74 are then engaged inslots 71, and the screws 74 are manipulated to draw flange 234 into tight resilient contact with pane 20. During this operation shelf 72 performs a dual function. First, it prevents flange 70 from riding up during the tightening operation, and secondly, it prevents expansion vertically of slots 71, so as to insure that the threads of screws 74 remain in operable contact with the sides of slots 71.

The construction of Figs. 6 and 7 may appear to have some superficial resemblance to that shown in U. S. Patent 1,732,046, to they present inventors, but a study of the two constructions will show that they operate on wholly different clamping principles. Thus, in Patent 1,732,046 the clamping force is applied from rib 18 to 'theglass through a straight, rigid, piece of metal, which clamping method presents all the disadvantages of the prior art hereinbefore adverted to. In the present construction, however, the force is applied via bridge section 231, wall 232, and rail 233, to force flange 234 against the glass in resilient, yielding contact therewith.

While the construction of the type of sash illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 differs in some details from that shown in Figs. 1 through 4, it will be apparent that the clamping means operates on exactly the same principle, that is, the application of a backward pull to the bridge section at a point remote from the glass contacting portion of the face member, so that the force is transmitted through a length' of yieldable material to distribute the force evenly along the length of the face member and to cause the wall of the face member to act as a spring to resiliently hold the pane in place. That is, the force not only is distributed longitudinally along the member but also over a relatively long path transversely owing to the channel-like configuration of the sash member.

While the foregoing description has been directed to sash members adapted to be fixed to sills, jambs or lintels, the invention is also adapted for use in mullions for multi-paned windows. One type of mullion construction embodying the invention is illustrated in cross-section in Fig. 8. In this figure the backing member 60 is T- 6 shaped, comprising a central body portion 61having" parallel sides, arm sections 62 extending at right angles to the top of the body portion, and shelves 63extending inwardly from the ends of the arm sections 62. Shelves 63 terminate in flanges 64 adapted to contact a pane, of glass 20. A plurality of screws 65 pass through threaded openings 66 in shelves 63. A pair of face members 30, of the same construction as those shown in Figs. 1 through 4, have their bridge sections 31 in contact with the opposite faces of body portion 61, and their flanges 34 are pressed into contact with panes 20 by the camming force of screws 65 pressing against inclined ledges 35, applied through bridge sections 31, front walls 32, and rails 33, to hold panes 20 in a firm but resilient gripbe tween flanges 34 and 64. While for purposes of example, the face-biasing means of Figs. 1 through 5 have been illustrated'and described in their application to mullion construction, it should be apparent that the bias ing means of Figs. 6 and 7 may also be used.

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, the faces of body section 61 are parallel, so that panes 20 are held in a straight line, a so-called sash mounting. It is obvious, though, that if the body section 61 were of tapered configuration, that the panes 20 can be held at any angle to each other, depending on the degree oftaper given to body section 61.

An important advantage possessed by this type of mullion over the mullion of the prior art is that body section 61 may be extruded to provide an integral backing member of any thickness necessary to render the mullion self-supporting, thus doing away with the necessity of providing the bulky and often unsightly reinforce ments often required with mullions of prior art construction.

While body portion 62 is perhaps best described in this language, it will be understood that eachhalf of the same operates as a mounting plate for mounting its own parts and those of the corresponding face member on the other half of the mullion as a base, and where the term mounting plate or equivalent is used hereinafter it will be understood to include such fractions of the body portion in. a mullion construction as well as the usual mounting plate in a single sash construction.

Ease of installation has been previouslyment-ioned as an important advantage of sashes constructed in accordance with the present invention. An advantage ofeven greater importance to the sash manufacturer is their case of manufacture as compared to the sashes of the prior art. Take, for example, the construction shown in U. S. Patent 2,220,569, to the present inventors. In manufacturing a sash of this type it was necessary to extrude the face member and then to punch out a spring-holding finger at spaced intervals along its base. A plurality of spring clips had then to be separately fabricated and fitted into engagement with the fingers. The backing member was then extruded and screw holes were tapped into its shelf section at spaced intervals corresponding to the interval between the spring clips on the face member. Next mounting blocks had to be separately fabricated and fitted into place. Next, a rocker arm and pintle were also separately fabricated and placed in position to complete the assembly. All of the assembly of such sashes had to be done manually, and it can be appreciated that the labor cost in assembling the sashes was considerable, in addition to the cost of manufacture of the spring clips, mounting blocks, rocker arms, and pintles, one of each being required for each foot of the length of the sash.

In contrast to the foregoing, in the manufacture of sashes according to the present invention, the face member is extruded to any desired length, and is in finished condition as it leaves the extruder, except when it is desired to stamp out slots in the bridge section for the purposes hereinbefore adverted to. No clips of any kind need be separately manufactured and fixed in place. The backing member is then extruded, and a plurality of screw holes are drilled through the backing member as is done in the construction shown in U. S. Patent 2,220,569. This, however, completes the operation. No mounting blocks, rocker arms, or pintles are necessary. It can thus be appreciated that the present invention has completely done away with the necessity of providing clamping means separate from the face and backing members, and has eliminated the cost of manufacturing and installing such means.

It will be noted that in each of the forms of the invention shown herein, the bridge section (31 or 231) lies in extremely close proximity to the base plate (24 or 224). This disposition is as close as possible in each case so as to have the location of the connection of the bridge section with the forward wall portion lie substantially in the plane of the base plate and thus be spaced as remotely as conveniently possible from the pane engagingportions (34 or 234). This relationship may be referred to in all the forms shown herein as a substantially sliding face-to-face relationship between the bridge section and base plate, and is essential in order to embody the requisite resiliency in the limited space normally permitted by constructional or architectural requirements and without reducing the wall thickness to a point where the structure is easily damaged by accidental blows of ordinary. force. A further consideration which must be observed in order to secure the requisite resilience in each form of the invention shown, is that tightening of the face member against the pane shall not also tighten it against some other relatively fixed element of the building. Thus the flange 46 may rest slidingly upon a fixed surface but shall not be so disposed as to abut and tighten against any fixed resisting element as the pane is clamped. If it should do so, and especially if its relative downward dimension were greater than shown in the drawing so as to constitute a substantial lever arm, a counter moment would be set up defeating the intended bowing action of the bridge section (31 or 231) and thus impairing radically the resilience of the face member (30 or 230). This concept can be expressed as a requirement that the pane contacting face of the forward wall portion of the face member shall be its sole bearing portion, and when this expression is used hereinafter, it is in a sense consistent with this explanation. We claim:

1. In a sash assembly, a pair of cooperating extruded metal sash members, one of said members comprising a backing member having a substantially planar horizon- 8 tally disposed mounting plate, a rear wall portion extending upwardly and forwardly from the inner edge of the mounting plate and terminating in a face adapted to engage one side of a pane of glass; the other of said members constituting a resilient face member comprising a forward wall portion extending upwardly and rearwardly from a location adjacent the plane defined by said mounting plate, said forward wall portion terminating in a face adapted to engage the other side of a pane of glass, and a rearwardly directed leg integral with said forward wall portion extending generally parallel to and in sliding substantially face-to-face relationship with said mounting plate, said leg including a bridge section extending transversely of said backing member, said bridge section being interrupted along the longitudinal extent of said sash member by a series of spaced apertures formed therein, the longitudinal extent of each aperture being at least equal to the spacing between adjacent apertures in the series; said face member having a longitudinally extending flange rising from the inner edge of said bridge section, and screw means extending through the wall portion of said backing member into engagement with said flange for transmitting a rearwardly directed biasing force on said face member solely through said bridge section and forward wall portion to the pane-engaging face thereof.

2. The sash assembly according to claim 1, wherein said flange at the inner edge of said bridge section comprises a cam surface presented by an inclined ledge extending upwardly and rearwardly of said face member throughout substantially the entire length thereof.

3. The sash assembly according to claim 1, wherein said flange at the inner edge of said bridge section is provided with a series of uniformly spaced slots along its extent, and said screw means in said backing member comprises a series of self-tapping screws spaced at intervals corresponding to that between said slots, said screws passing through said backing member into marginal engagement with said slots to draw said sash members together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,003,195 Murname Sept. 12, 1911 1,897,476 Himmel et al. Feb. 14, 1933 2,001,943 Steeple May 21, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 173,634 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1935 872,111 Germany Mar. 30, 1953 

